Technology

Ascent Achieves Rapid Growth in 2024

Published

1 year ago

January 9, 2025

With an expanding client base, partnerships, and doubling of headcount, rising fintech star concludes 2024 well positioned for progress in the year ahead.

NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ascent Platform, the leader in digital experience solutions for financial institutions, achieved extraordinary success in its first year of operation, with rapid expansion of the company on all fronts.

Ascent began 2024 by exiting stealth development and announcing its first strategic partnership with MSU Federal Credit Union to transform business and commercial lending for credit unions. Shortly afterwards, Ascent closed $5.3 million in venture funding in a round led by Foundation Capital, TruStage, Alloy Labs, and Reseda Group. This funding fueled platform development and expansion of use case support to include any-and-all product applications and servicing forms used by financial institutions.

Ascent doubled its headcount during the year, growing both US staff and product development and engineering teams operating in Scotland. Ascent grew its advisory board to include legendary fintech expert Bryan Clagett, mortgage industry leader Robert Davis, credit union keystone Kirk Kordeleski, and digital transformation thought leader Kevin Porter. Ascent also expanded strategic alliances, including partnership agreements with the Cooperative Credit Union Association, Finalytics, Nook, and Digifi.

Ascent continued to gain industry recognition with acceptance and participation in Project Fintech’s National Accelerator and MSUFCU’s Conquer Finance & Insurance Accelerator, and a finalist selection for Fintech Futures “Customer Journey and Experience” award. These programs supported Ascent’s product development and offered numerous opportunities to connect further with strategic partners and clients.

Finally, the first season of Ascent’s Counting Change podcast wrapped with 25 episodes. Ascent launched Counting Change in February, with CEO Arjun Sahgal and UX designer Rachel Reid as hosts. Industry leaders like Ben Maxim, Jason Henrichs, Alice Stevens, DJ Seeterlin, and Greg Mitchell have appeared on the show, lending their insights into the current world of community finance and technology. Season 2 of Counting Change kicked off this week with CSI’s Tara Schultz discussing the future of fintech partnerships.

“It was an amazing year for Ascent as we formally entered the market, bringing the tools that banks and credit unions need to take experience and engagement to the next level,” said Sahgal. “We are grateful to our team, partners and especially our early clients for having faith in us to deliver on this vision, and we have big plans to take it even further in 2025.”

About Ascent
Ascent is the next-generation platform that provides financial institutions with the ability to streamline any and all product applications and forms without disrupting existing systems and processes. Ascent replaces the patchwork of full-stack product applications, static web forms, and PDFs with intelligent applications and forms featuring prefilled data, optional pre-screening rules and logic, and collaborative document collection. Most importantly, the platform learns from every interaction and uses those learnings to make subsequent experiences more contextual, with fewer questions for the customer and less work for the banker. Using Ascent’s no-code builder, institutions can rapidly configure and deploy beautiful bespoke applications and forms at their own pace. For more information, please visit ascentplatform.io.

Contact
Glen Fossella
glen@ascentplatform.io
617-335-2181

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ascent-achieves-rapid-growth-in-2024-302347208.html

SOURCE Ascent Platform Corporation

Technology

Peninsula Visa Launches Comprehensive OCI Processing Services

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2026

Peninsula Visa, a trusted leader in immigration and visa processing services with over 50 years of expertise, today announced the launch of its comprehensive Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) processing services. To celebrate this milestone, Peninsula Visa is offering new users an exclusive 20% discount with promo code OCI20 at checkout.

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 3, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Peninsula Visa, a trusted leader in immigration and visa processing services with over 50 years of expertise, today announced the launch of its comprehensive Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) processing services. To celebrate this milestone, Peninsula Visa is offering new users an exclusive 20% discount with promo code OCI20 at checkout.

For 50 years, Peninsula Visa has helped families navigate immigration. OCI processing is one of our most impactful services, connecting the Indian diaspora to their heritage. We’re proud to bring our expertise to help families secure OCI status with confidence. Evan James, CEO

A Full Suite of OCI Services

Peninsula Visa’s OCI services cover every stage of the OCI lifecycle, ensuring that members of the Indian diaspora receive expert support from start to finish.

The four service types now available are:

New OCI Application — For foreign nationals of Indian origin, spouses of Indian citizens or existing OCI card holders, and minor children with at least one Indian parent applying for OCI status for the first time.OCI Card Renewal — For card holders whose OCI card has expired, or whose linked passport has been renewed or replaced and requires an updated booklet.Re-issuance (Age Milestones) — OCI cards must be re-issued when minors reach the age of 18 and again when card holders turn 50, due to significant changes in appearance. Peninsula Visa guides clients through both transitions seamlessly.Miscellaneous OCI Services — Covering corrections to existing records, lost or damaged card replacement, address changes, and other administrative updates to the OCI file.

Why Choose Peninsula Visa for Your OCI Application

Peninsula Visa brings decades of institutional knowledge and a client-first philosophy to every OCI case.

Key value propositions include:

Expert Guidance — Dedicated OCI specialists with deep knowledge of consulate requirements, eligibility rules, and documentation standards across all service types.High Approval Rate — A meticulous multi-stage review process that identifies and resolves issues before submission, dramatically reducing the likelihood of rejection or delay.Fast Turnaround — Standard processing in 12-15 Business Days for most OCI service types, with real-time status updates throughout the process.End-to-End Support — Personalized document checklists, secure document uploads, expert form preparation, consulate submission, and post-submission tracking — all in one place.

Launch Promotion

Save 20% on any OCI service — new users only

OCI20

Enter code OCI20 at checkout. Available to new users. No expiration date.

Leadership Perspective

“For 50 years, Peninsula Visa has helped individuals and families navigate the complexities of immigration documentation. OCI processing is one of the most impactful services we have ever added — it directly connects the Indian diaspora to their heritage country in a lasting, meaningful way. We are proud to bring our proven expertise and client-centric approach to this important service, and we look forward to helping thousands of families secure their OCI status with confidence.”

Founded in 1975, Peninsula Visa has built its reputation on precision, transparency, and a genuine commitment to client outcomes. The addition of OCI processing services reflects the company’s ongoing mission to expand its offerings to meet the evolving needs of immigrants and their families across the United States.

Get Started Today

Eligible applicants can begin their OCI journey by visiting Peninsula Visa’s dedicated OCI Services page. New users can take advantage of the 20% launch discount by entering promo code OCI20 at checkout when selecting any OCI service type.

Media Contact

Evan James, Peninsula Visa, 1 4087277515, media@peninsulavisa.com, https://peninsulavisa.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/peninsula-visa-launches-comprehensive-oci-processing-services-302760544.html

SOURCE Peninsula Visa

Technology

Peninsula Visa Launches Comprehensive OCI Processing Services

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2026

A Full Suite of OCI Services

Peninsula Visa’s OCI services cover every stage of the OCI lifecycle, ensuring that members of the Indian diaspora receive expert support from start to finish.

The four service types now available are:

Why Choose Peninsula Visa for Your OCI Application

Peninsula Visa brings decades of institutional knowledge and a client-first philosophy to every OCI case.

Key value propositions include:

Launch Promotion

Save 20% on any OCI service — new users only

OCI20

Enter code OCI20 at checkout. Available to new users. No expiration date.

Leadership Perspective

Get Started Today

Media Contact

Evan James, Peninsula Visa, 1 4087277515, media@peninsulavisa.com, https://peninsulavisa.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/peninsula-visa-launches-comprehensive-oci-processing-services-302760544.html

SOURCE Peninsula Visa

Technology

Booking.com’s Latest Travel and Sustainability Research Reveals Australian Generational Paradox

Published

2 hours ago

May 3, 2026

SYDNEY, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today Booking.com released its 11th annual research report into consumer attitudes and understanding of the social and environmental impact of travel. With insights from 32,500 travellers across 35 markets globally, including 1,000 from Australia, this year’s research highlights a generational paradox.

While 83% of Australian travellers say that more sustainable travel is important to them, older generations demonstrate greater commitment through concrete actions, despite younger generations often expressing stronger sustainability intentions.

Older generations demonstrate greater commitment through concrete sustainable actions, with almost two–thirds of Boomers across Asia Pacific (63%) saying they will shop more at local, independent stores on their trips, three–quarters (75%) planning to reduce general waste, and 63% intending to reduce energy consumption, higher than Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.However, younger travellers are leading in cultural and conservation management; more than a quarter of Gen Z (27%) and Millennials (26%) participated in a tour or activity that contributed to the health or conservation of the local ecosystem or wildlife.Extreme weather is actively reshaping travel choices. Nearly three-quarters of Australian travellers said they consider extreme weather risk when choosing both destination (72%), and timing (75%), and 27% reported having cancelled or changed trip plans in the past twelve months due to extreme weather or natural disaster.Australian travellers are shifting when and where they travel, seeking reliable climates and comfort. 43% say they plan to avoid overcrowded tourist destinations, 42% plan to travel outside of peak season, and 26% will seek out destinations with cooler temperatures.In 2025, travellers booked more than 100 million room nights on Booking.com at accommodation partners with a third-party sustainability certification, including at 363 third-party certified Australian properties.

To find Booking.com’s full 2026 research, visit here.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/bookingcoms-latest-travel-and-sustainability-research-reveals-australian-generational-paradox-302760310.html

SOURCE Booking.com